I lost count on how many Dave has done (is still doing) at around 16 … so naturally to save time this edge was created with belts and not hand sharpened (correct me if I am wrong). This is even more impressive to me because let me tell you … I have given this edge some abuse and even done quite a bit of red snapper fabrication with it and the edge has held through it all. I got a very small ding at the heal (where I probably hit the spine behind the head of a snapper). I heard from more than one member on the forum that I may have some chipping issues with the AS steel on commercial boards in a pro kitchen. I have used it on my own board and commercial boards about 50/50 … trusting the members I have talked to I am taking a wild guess that I probably would have had different results if I set the bevels/edge myself. The spine and choil are rounded/eased. Again they are not completely sanded and smoothed over to a buttery texture I like, but they are done perfectly like the rest of the work Dave did to this knife. I have a feeling the 240mm would have been a touch thinner and lighter then my 270mm (Little under 11 inches blade length). This is not paper weight by any means. And as nice as the handle is, my preference would have been to have it a touch longer, especially with this length of blade. Just perhaps a touch more “plump” as well, though if a hair longer, perhaps not. With that said, the knife is very balanced just above the bolster.

And the handle IS like butter in my hand. I may get fatigued a bit from the weight of the knife but never have to worry about blisters. The AS steel is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I could easily do WITHOUT the cladding … not because the stainless scratches easily (which is does) … for those of you who don’t know, I’m a carbon junkie. I treat my knives well and don’t have problems so far with carbon rusting on me. The light scratching from cleaning pads doesn’t bother me though. I thought about polishing it up for the pictures I was taking for this review just for aesthetic purposes … but why change my philosophy about knives now? It’s MEANT to get beat up a bit! After all it’s a TOOL. When I hit it big time then perhaps I’ll get a couple for art on the wall or knife stand, but until then it better perform and last. This knife performs very well. The profile is very nice and I feel those moving over from a western knife will find it very pleasing, so its common recommendation to “causal” users is warranted in my opinion. Mr. Broida is who I will blame for getting me officially hooked on “thin/laser” gyutos. {Way before he became the King of LA HERE I might add!} This, the Hiro, is not. It has some heft to it and can perform tasks I wouldn’t do with some of my “thinner” gyutos … like breaking down red snapper! So is this thing a western Deba? It’s got some meat on it, but no, it can be agile as well. And with the thin steep bevels Dave set it can take on delicate tasks too. While being the heftiest of my 270s (of 3)… it is quite versatile.

Will it wedge in a carrot or two? Perhaps … but then again the steel is tough and you don’t have to treat it with so much finesse you would with something thinner and lighter which is going to make a difference. Too often I think knives get blamed for everything that doesn’t go perfect. I once said a refined blade takes a little refined technique. Well every knife is different and you have to adjust how you use it to get the most out of … which translates to all kinds of things in life. I will say again though, this is one AS steel knife that does not need to be babied. The Hiromoto 270 probably isn’t going to be my favorite knife in this size, but it’s going to be used on certain tasks where it really shines. There is definitely a lot more room for it to grow on me and it’s yet to hit the stones. I gave it a light touch up on my 8k SS and stropped it to do a little work for these photos. As you can see the edge without being sharpened yet is still in pretty good shape. This is one knife I probably won’t thin myself. If anything it will most likely go to Dave if I decide I do want it thinned, but at this point, why would I? That’s why I have other gyutos, including the 270 CarboNext I just received…

In conclusion (stop already, I know) … I haven’t had the pleasure to use some of the high end knives many of the forum members have had, so I can only speculate. But looking at some of the custom handles from other makers I can’t help but feel I got the better end of the deal out of this purchase. If judging strictly on beauty, she’s Miss America for sure. For those of you who are wondering why Dave increased his pricing, I’ll tell you personally I would have paid 300+ for the work I received on this knife without a second thought. Anyone who saw the “seconds” he sold in the Sales section can probably figure out they are most likely nicer than many people’s “First” hand stuff. While my personal preferences leave me with a thing or two to be desired, no question Mr. Martell will be getting more business from me and comes highly recommended.

UPDATE:

Dave’s prices have obviously gone up as he focuses primarily on his OWN knives now, completely custom. Which I happened to get one of those as well a bit back. I’ll link the blog for that HERE. He still does these Hiro’s from time to time and like mentioned… his work has only improved from what was already Incredible! The market has opened up here in the states over the past 4 years… and I feel their may be better knives-pricing (value) than the Hiro, but with a custom handle and thinning/sharpening from Mr Martell… it’s still 0ne hell of a deal!

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